Improvement in potato-digger



@with tstr gstrnt @fitta EBENEZER \'f.W.eR1FF-1TH,"0F UTIGA, NEW YORK,

Letters .Patent No. 792,289, dated December 17, 1867.

. IMPROVEMENT IN POIATOfDIGGEIt.

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'ro ALL WHOM rr MAY'CONCERN: i l

Be it known that I, EBENEz-ER V. GR'IFFITH, of Utica, Oneida county, New York, have invented a new and useful Automatic Potato-Digger. il

The nature of my inventioniconsists in so constructing and arranging the parts that the fork 1s run under the hill 'and thenA raised and the earth and potatoes cast npona screen which is kept constantly vibrating, by

mennsol' which the earth and potatoes are separated, and they are spread upon the ground to dry before gathering; and'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear; and exact description of my said'invcntion, and ofthe mode of operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the machine, p)

Figure/..2 is a side view thereof, and f Figure 3 is afront view. 1`

A. A are the running-wheels; A1 is the bent axle; B B, the front part of the frame; Bl B, the ,rear part 'of the frame; C, a curved bar connecting the front and rear parts; D is the fork; DI, along bentlever on'one side o f the fork; D?, a short lever on'the'op'posite side; D3 D3, stops on B B, to prevent the fork going too deep; E, a spurred wheel on the hub of one of theJarge-wheels A; F', a smaller spurred wheel, having bearings in theI frame B; AG is a disk on the axis of F; 'Gf1 is'a pin in'the face of G, to operate the lever D; His the screen; H1 H1, straps to hold the'screen to the axle A1; I I, vsmall Wheels supporting the" rear end of the frame and screen; K K, flies for vibrating the screen; L, the pole or tongue; M, the drivers-seat; N, a catch for holding up the fork 'when not Working.

I The wheels A A carry the front of the machine, the small wheels I I support the rear end of the frame B1 Bl as well as the screen H. The axle A of thelarge wheels is bent down, to allowthe fork D and screen H to .be as near tothe surface of the ground as convenient. The frame B B, BI Bl, and C, may be of wood, and of any convenient form, to support the gearing for operating the fork. The head of the fork D has bearings on lthe axle A1, and there is a long bent lever, in the form substantially as represented in iig. 2, on one side of the fork, by means of which it israised, and its load of earth and potatoes cast upon the screen behind. 0n the other side of the fork D is a shortand slightly curved lever, D?. This lever D?, and the lower end of D1 serve,`

iu connection with the stops D3 D3 on the front frame B B, to regulate the depth to which the fork .may go. On f the hub oi' one of the large lwheels A is attached a spurred wheel, E, and gearing into it is u smaller spurred wheel, F, having its bearings in the .frame B1, and on the inner 4end of its axis is the disk G carrying the'pin G1, for operating-the lever D1. The-screen I-I is formed of a series of longitudinal ribs, connected at the axle A1 by a head-bur, which is att-ached to the bent axle by straps H1 H1 in such manner as to allow an up-and-dowr. motion to the rear ofthe screen. The rea-r end of thescreen is supported bythejaxle of thes'mall wheels I I- which axle turns with the whe.elsand has tw'o flies, K'K, on opposite sides, which dies may be formed of stout iron rods, or the like. The flies operate as eccentrics, and as the Wheels rotate, the flies cause the rear' end ofthe screen to lrise and fall. This causes the potatoes to separate from the earth, and the rear end of the screen being lower than the front, vthey are spread on the groundlbehind to dry before gathering. The pole or tongue may be attached to the front frame, and on -the top ofthe frame may-be placed a seat for the driver. Two horses are used, and one hill in a row is operated on at a time. To work well, the hills should be at equal dis? ytances apart. i

The operation is as follows: The machine passes over the row, a horse on each side. 4The weight of the fork brings its point to the groundl as the machine moves forward. Thetendeney of the fork is to run into the ground, but this is controlled and regulated by the stops l)3 D3. VBy the time the fork has passed under the hill, the pin G on the face o i' the disk G has turned round and presses on the upper end of the lever D1, which causes the forkwith its load to rise, and the whole is thrown back on ,the screen H. By this time the pin Gfl has passed over the straight arm of the lever and reached t'he curve or bend, when the lever, being freed from the pressureofethe pin, allows the fork instantly to fall down and enter under the next hill, and so on. While the machine ismoving, the flies lstrike alternately the ribs ofthe screen, which cause them to rise and fall suddenly. This breaks the earth and causes it to sift through 'the screen, while the potatoes-Will roll off behind.

i When the machine is moving to or from the field, the catch N may be turned on to the lever Dl, which will holdpip the fork. |The disk G has a series of holes near its periphery, to which the pin Grl may be shifted at pleasure, to start the machine right or to accommodate it to the work.

Having th'us described my inventiom'what I claim as new, and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The fork D, the bent lever D,`and the pin Gr, or their equivalents, in combination, for the uses and vurposes mentioned. l

The fork D, operated by the lever D and pin Gl, -in combination with the screen H, substantially as described, andfor the uses and purposes mentioned.

3. The fork D and the bent axle A1 and lever D1 in conibination, for the uses and purposes mentioned.

4. Operating the fork automatically by means o-' -tl1e gearing E and F and the pin Gli substantially as described, and for'the uses and purposes mentioned.A

' EBENEZER V. W. GRIFFITH.

Witnesses:

E. E. ROBERTS, JOHN G. CRocKEn. 

